In a computer, data for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) serving as an arithmetic processing unit is stored in a main storage device (memory device). Contents of processes executed by the CPU have been reflected on data stored in the main storage device. Accordingly, when a failure has occurred, data stored in the main storage device serves as information useful for detecting the cause or the like of the failure that occurred. Because of this, some computers perform dumping, in which data in main storage devices is output, when a failure has occurred. In particular, many of computers that are expected to be highly reliable such as servers or the like perform dumping.
In a computer that performs dumping, the restarting due to the occurrence of a failure is performed after the dumping is completed. In recent years, the capacity of main storage devices mounted in computers has increased sharply. The capacity has become ten times greater or more than that in several years ago. Accompanying such an increase in the capacity of main storage devices, the period of time for dumping has also become longer sharply. Accordingly, in order to perform swifter restarting of computers in which a failure has occurred, it is preferable to complete dumping in a shorter period of time.
As an example of conventional computer that may complete memory dumping in a shorter period of time, there is a computer that immediately performs dumping targeting only an updated block by monitoring the main storage device in units of areas (blocks). This conventional computer performs, in case of the occurrence of a failure, dumping targeting only a block that has been updated after the last time of dumping. Because blocks as targets of dumping in case of the occurrence of a failure are limited as described above, the dumping may be completed in a shorter period of time than a case where dumping is performed for all pieces of data in a main storage device.
Patent document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2-85938